Amex Green, Gold or Platinum: What card is right for you?

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You have lots of options when it comes to earning Amex Membership Rewards points, which is always a good thing. But choosing the right card can be tricky because there are various factors to consider.

If you’re looking for an Amex card, we’ve put together this comparison of the American Express® Green Card, American Express® Gold Card and The Platinum Card® from American Express to help you decide which card is the best fit for your spending habits and travel goals. All three cards make our list of the top American Express cards, but each has different annual fees, earning rates, and other features.

The information for the Amex Green has been collected independently by Million Mile Secrets The card details on this page have not been reviewed or provided by the card issuer.

Here’s a detailed look:

Amex Green vs. Amex Gold vs. Amex Platinum

Each card has a different annual fee, bonus categories and welcome offer. The Amex Platinum Card, for example, has a $695 annual fee (See Rates and Fees), while the Amex Green Card’s annual fee is just $150 (See Rates and Fees). While the Amex Platinum’s hefty annual fee might scare some people off, it’s important to dig deeper into each card’s benefits and perks, as many of them will help offset the annual fee.

The Amex Platinum, for example, comes with perks including (terms apply):

• Up to $200 in Uber credits annually
• Up to $200 annual airline fee credit(enrollment required).
• Up to $100 Global Entry credit

These benefits can add up, but only if you can use them. I live in a small town, so the Uber credits aren’t as enticing as they might be for someone living in a larger city without a car. I also already have Global Entry, so the credit doesn’t necessarily benefit me. But if you’re a regular Uber user and can make use of the other credits, you can nearly cover the entire annual fee with their value. Plus, there’s the outstanding 5x Membership Rewards points you’ll earn on airfare booked either directly with the airline or with American Express Travel (on up to $500,000 on these purchases per calendar year), and on prepaid hotels booked with American Express Travel.

For these reasons, the Amex Platinum is our top pick for those who spend a lot on airfare and who are looking for premium perks. You can read our full review of the Amex Platinum card here.

With the Amex Gold card you’ll get benefits and perks including (terms apply):

• Up to $120 dining credit ($10 monthly) each year at participating restaurants (enrollment required)

This card’s perks make the most sense for someone who spends a lot on dining, especially given the fact that you’ll earn 4x Amex Membership Rewards points per dollar spent at restaurants. That’s why we recommend this card as the best Amex card for restaurant purchases. You’ll find our review of the Amex Gold card here.

Lastly, the Amex Green card comes with benefits like (terms apply):

• Up to $100 in yearly statement credits when you use your Amex Green card to pay for a CLEAR membership
• Up to $100 in LoungeBuddy statement credits per year

Sure, these benefits aren’t as notable as those offered by the Amex Platinum  or Amex Gold cards, but the Amex Green card’s annual fee is significantly less ($150 compared to $695 and $250, respectively). Plus, it earns bonus Amex Membership Rewards points on general travel purchases, something the other cards don’t offer. Specifically, Amex says these purchases will qualify for earning bonus points on “airfare, hotels, cruises, car rentals, campgrounds, trains, taxicabs, rideshare services, tours, ferries, tolls, parking, buses, subways, on third party travel websites and on amextravel.com.”

That gives you a lot of opportunities to rack up extra rewards. And it’s why we recommend the Amex Green card as the best for those who spend a lot on general travel purchases. Here’s our detailed review of the Amex Green card.

Bottom line

The best personal Amex card for your wallet depends on your own spending habits and travel goals. If you’re trying to decide on just one, here’s how we distinguish between them.

Featured image by ra2studio/Shutterstock.

For rates and fees of the Amex Green card, click here.

For rates and fees of the Amex Platinum Card, please click here.

For rates and fees of the Amex Gold, click here.